?Is Neymar going to leave Paris Saint-Germain? Is he going to join either Barcelona or Real Madrid? Do we even care anymore?
I get it, transfers worth almost €222m aren’t easy. However, this just seems to have taken it too far. PSG don’t want him anymore, Neymar himself doesn’t even want to be there, and neither Barcelona nor Real can seemingly make their mind up whether they want him or not.
The thing is, neither side should actually want to sign the Brazilian, especially not for the kind of money that is being suggested.
?Neymar is a great footballer. He’s undoubtedly one of the finest around, and you only have to look at his track record for the proof of that. However, the problem is, when you sign Neymar, you don’t just sign a talented footballer, but you sign a walking soap opera as well.
Throughout his career, there have been countless incidents which seem to suggest that Neymar is more focused on himself than he is his team.
Go back to his days with Santos, when he publicly clashed with manager Dorival Junior because he was not allowed to take a penalty during a game against Atletico Goianiense. Yes, he was young and immature, but it didn’t stop there.
Diving and play-acting plagued his time in ?Barcelona, which only ever creates a negative image of both the player and the club. The winger was more focused on the theatrics, rather than simply getting on with his job to score goals.
First time around, Barcelona gave him everything. Neymar was destined to line up alongside ?Lionel Messi and take the world by storm, but that just wasn’t enough for him. He needed to be the guy – the undisputed star on the team – and eventually jumped at the chance to be just that in Paris.
Even with the title of the world’s most expensive footballer, it still wasn’t enough for Neymar. There have been countless reports of dressing-room spats as PSG officials desperately fought to keep him happy, and yet he still loved to push them just that little bit further.
?Envoye Special even claimed that there is an ‘ethical bonus’ in Neymar’s contract which will see him pocket €375,000 for turning up on time, respecting fans and journalists, and generally acting like a good person. Does he really need such an incentive to consider how his actions can impact others?
It clearly didn’t even work, given he has clashed with fans and skipped training in recent months. Maybe that bonus needed to be a bit bigger for him.
Is this the kind of player that Barcelona and ?Real should be trying to move heaven and earth for? Absolutely not. He would certainly bring plenty of goals and assists, but you don’t know what else he will bring to the table.
He’s like a rich-man’s ?Mario Balotelli. The Italian striker has lost fans all over Europe because clubs fear he will be more trouble than he’s worth. Teams don’t want to pay actual money for someone who might not take them seriously. So, why should Neymar’s talent make any difference?
If all you’re bothered about is results on the pitch, then sure, go all-out for Neymar. However, parting with anywhere close to €222m is just asking for trouble further down the line.
Let’